Kumbakonam fire case panel gets extension

Chennai: The Madras high court has extended by six months the tenure of the one-man commission of inquiry of Justice K. Venkataraman, to fix the extent and percentage of negligence in respect of the school fire accident at Kumbakonam in 2004. A total of 94 children lost their lives and several were injured in the fire. The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, before which the petition filed by the secretary of the commission came up for hearing on Friday, extended the commission’s tenure.

The one-man commission was entrusted with the task of fixing the extent and percentage of negligence and corresponding liability on each of the parties in connection with the fire accident which took place on July 16, 2004 in Sri Krishna Aided Primary School and Sarawathi Primary School, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district.

Justice Venkataraman, already the president, Puducherry state consumer disputes redressal commission, was entrusted with the additional work by the high court after the resignation of Justice P. Shanmugam. Originally, Justice Shanmugam was appointed for the task and he resigned owing to health issues.

Subsequently, the court appointed Justice Venkataraman on September 16, 2014 giving him six months to submit his report. As the period lapsed, the secretary of the commission approached the high court for extension of time.